One party has been in control of California for 16 years.
Posted by On with Kara Swisher, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 70%
On with Kara SwisherAug 10, 2026
Sources consistently report that Democrats have held California's governorship for about 16 years (since Schwarzenegger left office in 2011), and Democrats have controlled the legislature for longer, so the claim that one party has controlled California for 16 years is supported.
What was said
… So, to start, give us your theory of the case. Why do you think you could be the state's next Republican governor? I think it really starts with the reality of life in California. We've had 16 years now where you've had one party in control, and the results, especially for regular working people, small business owners in particular, are just really tough, right? I mean, we can go through the data, but it's bad. …
On with Kara Swisher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters (tier1, Oct 30, 2026) describes Democrats' '16-year grip on California governor's office,' and a quoted speaker refers to '16 years of one party rule.'[1]
Supports. The LA Times opinion piece (Oct 27, 2026) states that Democrats have held the governor's desk, every other statewide office and both legislative houses for nearly 16 years, since Schwarzenegger left office in 2011.[3]
Supports. National Review (Dec 2025) notes that Democrats have controlled both houses of the state legislature since 1970, with only minor interruptions, and that no Republican has won a statewide race since 2006, which supports a long one-party stretch.[2]
Context. The SF Standard (Oct 2026) notes a Democrat has won every California gubernatorial race since 2010, consistent with the roughly 16-year span, though the figure depends on whether one counts the governorship alone or the legislature as well.[4]
Sources
4 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1Hilton bid tests Democrats' 16-year grip on California governor's officereuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2California Democrats Belatedly Realize the Consequences ...nationalreview.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 3A Republican governor would bring productive tension to ...latimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4To fix California, make its politicians afraid to losesfstandard.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- California has been run by Democrats at every level of government for 16 years.Mixed
- California is one of the most Democratic states in the nation.True
- Democrats have a nearly two-to-one voter registration advantage over Republicans in California.True
- California voters have not elected a Republican governor since Arnold Schwarzenegger's reelection in 2006.True
- The California state Supreme Court has a six-one Democrat-appointed majority.Mixed